Show I FORBIDDEN VALLEY r FICTION fJ LEG I By WILLIAM BYRON MOWERY OWER SYNOPSIS Deserting Curt Tennyson who has not ot only met and befriended her In Inthe inthe the he Canadian wilds but has fallen faIlen In Inlove Inove inlove love ove with her Sonya has slipped away from camp to join the International crook Igor Karakhan Curt urt with his liLs partner Paul and ond Ralph Nichols Sonya's former fonner aid are re left len stranded on an Island in the middle of a lake with neither canoes nor lor provisions after an attack by the e Indians that has been Inspired inspired inspired in in- by Karakhan Ralph is desperately des wounded CHAPTER 37 Over and ond over again Curt swore to himself himsel Im going to get off oft this landl If It he could not walk or fly flyr or r paddle away he at et least could swIm wim away To take Ralph Rolph with them they icy would have to get a boat and the he only chance of doing that was wao for or one of at them to swim over to the them m mainland inland camp after dark and try to steal eal a canoe He himself would have to go Paul could not like Wee most men born bede be be- beside side de the cold waters of the north he could hardly swim at all aU Besides our own lives he added theres there's Ralph to be consid considered red If we have a canoe cano we can drop down downto to o the mouth in twenty twenty- four our hours and in in six more well we'll be bep beup beup up p at old Johns John's lake If It Smash is waiting there as he ought to be we can have Ralph over on the Pacific coast in the hospital at Prince Rupert Rupert Ru Ru- pert in thirty six hours Paul glanced across that mile of icy cy slapping water stand one chance hance in twenty-five twenty of getting over overo overto overto to o that camp and one in a hundred of stealing a canoe without setting getting kill killed ed But If H I dont don't go we dont don't stand any chance at alL aIL As soon as it gets jets dark enough Im I'm going It had better etter be tonight tomorrow night will on only find us weaker The slight hope of getting away or ort I at t least doing something besides waiting wait wait- I ing ng helplessly heartened them a little utile Curt urt happened to remember about Ralphs Ralph's line hand the previous evening evening eve- eve ning ing and went looking for it A small chub lub was on the line when Curt pulled it in jn He cut the chub into bait ait threw the line out caught a 0 gray jray trout and half a 0 dozen mullets The he scorched the fish over a little wisp of fire and had their first meal in n 30 hours Or TennO Again Alain Twilight came earlier than usual for or the sky was still clouded They walked up to the north tip and end Curt stripped for his swim The lake still ran an wild with whitecaps He shook hands with Paul waded out ut and ond started for the near island The water was wa-s numbing cold at first but he struck up a vigorous pace ace that kept the chill out of his blood In twenty minutes he raised I his ils head and saw a spruce islet his I first stop not far in front of him At about that same time he heard a distant guarded shout It sounded like ke Paul calling to him H He halted listened heard nothing more re and Bw warn mon on A minute later four shots came rolling across the lake The peculiar sequence of them stopped him short It was a signal between between be be- tween him and Paul they had used it ft a dozen times to summon each other He Ho turned around and headed bock back for the camp island Seventy five yards of off the lower tip he made out two men standing at the wave edge Nearer he recognized Paul and saw a canoe drawn up on the sand Thoroughly mystified mystified fied fled he hc swam in struck bottom end and waded ashore Paul came running to meet him bringing his clothes Partner Its It's OgI Tean-Og He fetched fetched fetch fetch- ed cd us ur a canoe Wha tt He came just a Je soon as ns it was dark enough that the others wouldn't see him If you dont don't believe me theres there's the boat and there he is IsI 1st the id idea a He Hc says saS he met Sonya over at their camp just after the fight tight lest last night and md she told him to bring usa us usa usa a boat Humph LeNoir's using him to bait some deadfall for us Lets Let's find out what his game is 15 He dressed quickly walked over to Tenn-Og Tenn nodded to him Its Itts a surprise to see you friend So you brought usa us usa usa a canoe That's find tinel But why Tenn-Og Tenn pointed to his forehead and shoulder wounds as a reminder that the white had once helped him Is the white girl over there at the camp Curt asked She had left last night Tenn-Og Tenn said LeNoir had started her north to the white man in charge of three dependable guides it yOu last evening Curt inquired sardonically who led those three canoes down at the north tip Up of this island 7 Directions Tenn-Og Tenn admitted leading the ca noes But he added at the right moment moment mo mo- ment he had pulled his men out of the fight by shouting to them that the the whites were killing the other When he backed off oft it H had broken up those plans Curt studied the face tace dusky sharp sharp- ly 13 It was the most impassive face he had bad ever met with as ns unreadable I as a granite mask Tenn-Og's Tenn explanation ex cx- did fit the circumstance the whole story sounded plausible enough but still he did not quite believe it Siam ad LeNoIr have cooked up something for us he told Paul They want to get it over with within in a hurry so they're using this fellow fellow tel fel fel- fel low to trap us with Well they've got another guess coming And inthe in inthe inthe the meantime weve we've got a a canoe Curt inspected the craft It was a twenty foot birch bark large for five or six people The Indian had also brought three extra paddles paddies sleeping robes for the four tour of or them and food several food several pounds of caribou jerky and two large roasted fish wrapped In leaves That tempting food made Curt suspicious Wed better stay away from it PauL LeNoir Is an artist with poison and it'd be like him to salt grub with strychnine and send it to us All All' thoughts of going on a after Karakhan had dropped out of his mind Sonya could go on if it she wanted to and Karakhan could get away away It had to b be Ralphs Ralph's life ille came first They picked up the canoe took it itne ne nearer the barricade and floated it After making a Q bed of the sleeping robes they carried Ralph over and laid him In Curt shoved away un un- thankful to see Lee the last of that unlucky island Have your our friends got canoes out outon outon outon on the lake tonight watching for forus forus or orus us he asked Tenn Tenn-Og Go that way Og Tenn-Og pointed west No canoes there He did not argue or try to persuade but merely pointed and stated facts Tomorrow Tomorrow Curt Curt decides to trust Tenn TennOr Copyright 1934 William B. B Mowery |